I took a road trip this past weekend with my best friend and as usual we met some great people and visited some beautiful places, probably gained some lbs from eating good food.
The first place we stopped was sculpture falls in Austin and let me tell you the hike down was not too bad but the hike back felt like we were walking on the surface of the sun. At the start of the trail we came across some girls that had just finished the hike and were sitting down looking exhausted but since we were excited about the hike we somehow overlooked that detail until we were hiking back and understood what they were feeling.
We started our hike at around 11:00 am and when we got to the waterfall we sat right underneath it and let the water rush over our shoulders. After a hike in triple digit heat it felt amazing, the water was cool but not very cold at all I think because the water levels were low. Overall I would recommend not doing this hike during the middle of July but maybe early spring or late fall when its cooler out. If you plan on visiting here are a few other tips that might be helpful.
Your hike will start at the top of the hill so you will be hiking down the hill and your hike back will be hiking back up which makes it feel a lot harder.
- Parking is Tricky. If you have never been here before just a heads up do not look for a parking lot. People visiting will park on the side of the road where the trail starts or around the small neighborhood you drive through to get there. The entrance is a little hidden you will see a property that looks abandoned and at the end of the gate for that property is the head of the trail with a map.
- Bring Enough Water! I bought an amazing canteen off of Amazon that was probably the best purchase I ever made for hiking. I had put ice in this canteen around 7:00am and there was still ice in it at 3:00pm. I just kept refilling the water and I had cold water the whole day. I woke up the next morning and took a drink of water and it was still cold. Trust me when you are hiking and it feels really hot out you will appreciate having cold water. Taking a cooler on a long hike is a mistake you will regret it very quickly. I have the 32oz size and my best friend loved the canteen so much I let her have the one I brought for her to use. She will be buying another one for her husband since they both like biking and hiking.
- Take a Picture of the trail map with your phone before you start hiking. I usually do this anytime I hike a new trail because if you get lost you could be wandering around for a long time in the heat. It could be scary being lost in the wilderness especially if there are no other hikers around.
- Don't Wear Flip Flops!.I have seen people hiking down in flip flops and I don't know how they were able to manage. There are a lot of loose rocks and you could easily slip and twist your ankle. Wear some tennis shoes or hiking shoes and pack water shoes in you back pack.
- Bring a cooling towel. If its a hot day which is highly likely in Texas a cooling towel will help with the hike. They are inexpensive and come in handy.
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